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Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger
History The decision to mount a 128 mm gun on an armored chassis originated in 1942. Initially, the plan was to mount it on either the Panther or [[Pz.Kpw VI Ausf. H "Tiger"|Tiger I]] chassis, but neither proved able enough to handle both the weight, recoil of the gun, or both. Production of the [[Pz.Kpw VI Ausf. B 'Tiger II'|Tiger II]] in 1943 opened up new opportunities for such a project. Henschel produced a wooden mockup, and after being presented to Adolf Hitler in late 1943, agreements on various changes, the new tank destroyer/assault gun was scheduled to enter production & service in early 1944. This did not prevent Ferdinand Porsche from presenting an alternative suspension system, and yet again there was another competition between Henschel & Porsche designs. 11 of the first production Jagdtigers had the Porsche suspension system, before adopting the Henschel suspension system for the series production. The total production run was an estimated 85 vehicles. The Gun The gun was a 12.8 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 44 (anti-tank cannon, otherwise known as the Panzerabwehrkanone 80 and Panzerjägerkanone 80). Originating as a field gun, the design went through numerous changes to convert it to an anti-tank gun. The gun had a 55 caliber barrel and used two-piece ammunition. It could fire, light, medium, and heavy charge projectiles. The light & medium charges were used when the gun was to be used in a direct-fire artillery role, and the heavy charged projectiles were to be used in an anti-tank role. The gun fire both normal Panzergranate APC and Panzergranate 43 APCBC shells. Both shells could penetrate up to 200 mm of 90° sloped armor.... .... at 2000 meters. This enabled the Pak 44 to penetrate the frontal armor of all Allied medium & heavy tanks, and could tackle even post-war main battle tanks. Combat History Jagdtigers saw action primarily on the Western Front. It suffered from the same, if not more issues than the Tiger II, with both the suspension & engine being far too underpowered for the 72 ton vehicle. But where it did see combat, it could do tremendous damage. On April 30, 1945, Jagdtigers from Panzerjagerabteilung 512 managed to destroy 11 Allied tanks and up to 30 other unarmored vehicles out to ranges of 4,000 meters. Another account states 1 Jagdtiger attacking some 6 Allied tanks. The Jagdtiger took fire from several American tanks, however, the commander lost his nerve, and while the Jagdtiger turned around to retreat, the side armor became exposed, and the single tank destroyer was knocked out. Lack of crew training & low morale took a toll on the Jagdtiger's effectiveness in combat. In the Ruhr pocket, 2 Jagdtigers failed to attack an American armored column due to fear of an air attack that never came. Later, one Jagdtiger fell in a ditch, and another was accidentally knocked out by a Panzerfaust-armed Volksturm trooper, due to never having seen a Jagdtiger before. The Jagdtiger was one of the last attempts at trying to prove the 'bigger is better' concept meant something. Allied air superiority, poor training, low morale, all those took a toll on the combat effectiveness of the Jagdtiger. When it did get into an ambush position, it could cost Allied tank battalions heavily. However, it wasn't the last, and a bigger, far more deadly war machine lay ahead.... Specifications *Type: Tank destroyer *Place of origin: Germany *In service: 1944 *Produced: 1944 *Number built: 492 *Weight: 72 tonnes *Length: 10.65 m *Width: 3.6 m *Height: 2.8 m *Crew: 6 *Armor: **Upper glacis: 150 mm **Lower glacis: 100 mm **Hull side: 80 mm **Hull rear: 80 mm **Casemate front: 250 mm **Casemate sides: 80 mm **Casemate rear: 80 mm **Additional track links could be put of the tanks to provide extra (but limited) protection *Armament **Main gun: 12.8 cm Pak 44 L/55 (40 rounds) **Secondary armament: x1 7.92mm MG 34 (3,000 rounds) *Engine: Maybach HL 230 P-30 (690 HP) *Suspension: torsion-bar suspension *Speed: 21 mph Ammunition A number of experimental shells existed, like the 12.8 cm Pfeilgeschoss (arrow shots, essentially APDS shells), but were never fielded. Gallery =